Why Toronto Raptors should and shouldn’t trade Scottie Barnes for Damian Lillard
Why the Toronto Raptors shouldn’t trade Scottie Barnes for Damian Lillard
It would run contrary to their belief in Scottie Barnes and previous stances
Last offseason, the Toronto Raptors famously refused to include Scottie Barnes in any trade negotiations with the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kevin Durant. Do we really think all that much has changed in the last year? I have a hard time believing that it is.
It would be malpractice for the Raptors to not be willing to trade Barnes for KD and then be willing to do so for a lesser and older palyer months later. But that’s just me. Maybe Masai Ujiri sees the situation differently.
It would be a short-sighted move for a non-guaranteed championship
The argument for the Toronto Raptors going all-in for Damian Lillard, who is on record that he wants to play in Miami, largely revolves around the fact that this franchise has done something similar before with Kawhi Leonard. But this is not necessarily an apples-to-apples situation.
For one, Kawhi was an expiring contract at the time, and Lillard has four years remaining on his contract. And second, the Raptors were a championship-caliber team before adding Kawhi. These Raptors are not that.
Even if the Raptors are able to swing a deal that would net them a trio of Lillard, Anunoby, and Siakam, that’s not better than what the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks will be rolling out on the floor. Best-case scenario, they finish third in the conference and can maybe pull off an upset and make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Is that worth it to trade away your entire future, along with the ceiling-less potential of Barnes?
Damian Lillard may not want to be a Raptor
At the end of the day, we can only go by what has been reported. And it’s been reported that Lillard doesn’t want to play for the Toronto Raptors. To what extent we may have to see, but do the Raptors even want to test that? Would it be willing to trade away your best long-term asset for something that is not a guarantee?
Maybe Lillard would be able to sell himself on playing for the Raptors. They’d be a competitive team in the Eastern Conference, but is this the type of risk Toronto wants to be making at this point?